Week Nine Highlights

A few different on the short week.

We study seasons and weather this year so I grabbed a fall picture of our class! You can really tell it is fall.

We experimented with balanced and unbalanced forces using different types of surfaces. Each pair of students investigated which surface required more weight: Rubber band, wax paper, wood, or sandpaper. We complied all our data, found an average, and discovered that Rubber bands created the most friction, therefore, required the most weight.

We put multiplication to use to find the area of a rectangle and square using real tiles from a interior design store.

Week Eight Highlights

8th grade buddies

Your third grader meets with their 8th grade buddy three times this year. This buddy was established in 1st grade and has followed your child through each grade level.  In the first visit, buddies draw out hands together and write out ways in which they can be praying for one another. Each buddy swaps hands and tapes it inside their locker as a reminder.

Week Seven Highlights

The big highlight this week was science! Your third grader learned how to plan and conduct their own investigation collaboratively while producing data to show what they have learned. All these skills are being learned while they explore force and motion using many different objects. This past week third grade used cars and many materials from class to make scientific discoveries. One discovery I discussed with your third grader is how we are a work in progress just like our scientific experiments are. As we become disciples for Jesus and many times there are things that can stand in our way from growing closer to Him. We need to figure that out, much like the obstacles we had to figure out through designing and planning our investigations.

On Friday we had the privilege of leading our 4 year old preschool buddies in a fall activity. We helped them create jack-o-lanterns that share a special message: God picks you from the patch. Then washes all the dirt off you. He opens you up and scoops all the yucky stuff out. He removes the seeds of doubt, fear, and greed if you ask Him to. he carves a smile on your face. Then he puts a light inside of you for all the world to see! 

Week Six Highlights

Character Education is important to me and I am glad to be in a Christian School where I have the freedom to work on it from a Christian perspective. This week we discussed Bucket Fillers and Bucket Dippers. We learned that everyone carries around and invisible bucket. A bucket Filler is someone who encourages, lifts up, or helps another person. When we are bucket fillers, our buckets become full too!! Bucket Dippers are people who put down, ignore, or seek to do mean things. When we dip into people's buckets, it effects ours as well. After discussing this, we took the opportunity to fill buckets for people in the school by writing a note or giving a hug. Now we have established, "BUCKET FILLER FRIDAYS." You may see these cute notes in their take home folders each week. Feel free to use this language at home to reinforce what we talk about at school.

EPIC was a highlight to this past week. Students are reading a lot using this tool in the classroom. I am able to see what books they are choosing, how long they are reading, if they are shopping too much and not reading enough. I have to say its great for tracking purposes. We will continue to use Epic in the classroom. However, if you want to get it for a couple of months free at home: use the code: MOMHOUR.

This year students learn 3 main properties to multiplication. Since its more of a concept rather than a skill, I try to break them down by providing a visual and hands-on opportunities.

Commutative property is when the factors in the equation can switch and the product stays the same. 

Distributive property is when you break apart a multiplication equation into smaller equations that are easier to solve. Then you add their totals to get to the answer. Below you will see students doing this using an area model with cubes. 

Associative Property requires some algebraic thinking! We plan to get to this in a couple of weeks.